Let Him Go: A Novel - Hardcover

Watson, Larry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1571311025 ISBN 13: 9781571311023

Publisher: Milkweed Editions, 2013

Synopsis

The celebrated author of Montana 1948 returns to the American West in this riveting tale of familial love and its unexpected consequences.

Dalton, North Dakota. It’s September 1951: years since George and Margaret Blackledge lost their son James when he was thrown from a horse; months since his widow Lorna took off with their only grandson and married Donnie Weboy. Margaret is steadfast, resolved to find and retrieve her grandson Jimmy the one person in this world keeping James’s memory alive while George, a retired sheriff, is none too eager to stir up trouble. Unable to sway his wife from her mission, George takes to the road with Margaret by his side, traveling through the Dakota badlands to Gladstone, Montana. When Margaret tries to convince Lorna to return home to North Dakota and bring little Jimmy with her, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the entire Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight. From the author who brought us Montana 1948, Let Him Go is pitch-perfect, gutsy, and unwavering. Larry Watson is at his storytelling finest in this unforgettable return to the American West.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

FICTION | LITERATURE $24

DALTON, NORTH DAKOTA. SEPTEMBER, 1951. It has been years since George and Margaret Blackledge
lost their son James when he was thrown from a horse; months since his widow left with their only grandson and married another man. Margaret is steadfast, resolved to find and retrieve her beloved grandson Jimmy the last of the family line, and a living embodiment of her son’s memory while George, a retired sheriff , is none too eager to stir up trouble. Unable to sway his wife from her mission, George takes to the road with Margaret by his side, traveling through the Badlands to Gladstone, Montana. But when Margaret tries to bring little Jimmy home to North Dakota, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight.
From the author who brought us Montana 1948, Let Him Go is pitch-perfect gutsy and
unwavering. Larry Watson is at his storytelling fi nest in this unforgettable return to the American West.

LARRY WATSON is the author of Montana 1948 and American Boy,among other novels. He is the recipient of the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, the Friends of American Writers award, two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other prizes and awards. He teaches writing and literature at Marquette University, and lives with his wife, Susan, in Milwaukee.

COVER DESIGN BY CHRISTIAN FUENFHAUSEN
COVER PHOTOS ©OCEAN/CORBIS
AUTHOR PHOTO BY SUSAN WATSON

Milkweed Editions
800-520-6455
|LARRY WATSON'S UNFORGETTABLE RETURN TO THE AMERICAN WEST

In Let Him Go, Larry Watson evokes the deepest kind of suspense: that based upon the fact that humans are unpredictable and perhaps ultimately unknowable even to their most intimate associates. This fi erce, tense book is beautifully written, with spare and economical prose out of which blooms a vivid and uncompromising portrait of the modern West. A brilliant achievement.” Alice LaPlante, best-selling author of Turn of Mind

Let Him Go is as commanding as its title: you will be immediately gripped by the narrow-eyed, bighearted pursuit of a child in danger. This is a literary thriller of the highest order on par with Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone an unrelenting quest through an unforgiving landscape and deadly family web.” Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon and The Wilding
PRAISE FOR LARRY WATSON

Filled with rugged prose as biting as a northern plains wind. . . . Watson writes of people universal in their flaws and virtues, a community that cannot be defined or limited to one region or genre.” Washington Post Book World

Utterly mesmerizing. . . . There’s something eminently universal in Watson’s ponderings on the human condition, and it’s refracted through a nearly perfect eye for character, place, and the rhythms of language.” The Nation

As thin, clear, and crisp as a North Dakota wind. . . . A writer whose work is worthy of prizes.” Los Angeles Times Book Review

Watson’s tales are unforgettable tales of experience, set in a place as unchanging as any in America; a rare place where we still look for roots and a vanished frontier, and where we still uncover horrors that bring down reminders of what it is to be human no matter where we are.” Oregonian

From the Back Cover:

LARRY WATSON'S UNFORGETTABLE RETURN TO THE AMERICAN WEST
"In "Let Him Go, " Larry Watson evokes the deepest kind of suspense: that based upon the fact that humans are unpredictable and perhaps ultimately unknowable--even to their most intimate associates. This fi erce, tense book is beautifully written, with spare and economical prose out of which blooms a vivid and uncompromising portrait of the modern West. A brilliant achievement." --Alice LaPlante, best-selling author of "Turn of Mind"
""Let Him Go" is as commanding as its title: you will be immediately gripped by the narrow-eyed, bighearted pursuit of a child in danger. This is a literary thriller of the highest order--on par with Daniel Woodrell's "Winter's Bone"--an unrelenting quest through an unforgiving landscape and deadly family web." --Benjamin Percy, author of "Red Moon" and "The Wilding"

PRAISE FOR LARRY WATSON
"Filled with rugged prose as biting as a northern plains wind. . . . Watson writes of people universal in their flaws and virtues, a community that cannot be defined or limited to one region or genre." --"Washington Post Book World"
"Utterly mesmerizing. . . . There's something eminently universal in Watson's ponderings on the human condition, and it's refracted through a nearly perfect eye for character, place, and the rhythms of language." --"The Nation"
"As thin, clear, and crisp as a North Dakota wind. . . . A writer whose work is worthy of prizes."--"Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"Watson's tales are unforgettable tales of experience, set in a place as unchanging as any in America; a rare place where we still look for roots and a vanished frontier, and where we still uncover horrors that bring down reminders of what it is to be human no matter where we are." --"Oregonian"

About this edition

• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1571311025
• ISBN 13: 9781571311023
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256